by Shae Bryant
Jacob laughed, "No he didn't. He's at Vince Moretti's home in Miami and trying to find us. Get the first flight out and pay him a visit."
"What do I do when I get there?" She asked.
"Get rid of people. Start with Faulkner."
Kristin slowly walked out, pausing when she reached the door, "I'll arrange for the child to be cared for before I leave."
None of us were aware of our new visitor. Not yet, at least. For the time being, we were blissfully living our lives with the occasional annoyance of having Faulkner nearby.
Leo was with Chloe, which meant that this evening belonged to Vince and I. One would think in a house as large as his, we'd have more time together. But, Leo and Faulkner both made that rather difficult for us some nights.
I was very much looking forward to an evening alone when Vince approached the couch. He leaned over to kiss my cheek and bid me a good evening.
"You have a funny look on your face. Oh. You just woke up. You're hungry."
Vince rubbed his face, "Ah. I'm sorry. I haven't eaten yet."
"I'll see you once you do." I moved to get up from the couch.
He took my hand, "Raina. Isn't there a chance that you might...?"
"No way." I put a hand in front of him, "You did that once and it was a terrible experience. I don't know why people think it's so fun."
He covered his mouth to hide the laugh, "Oh dear. Is that why you always say no?"
"Yes."
"Raina, I promise you that was a very different circumstance. Negative emotions give you a very unpleasant experience." Vince chuckled.
"That whole story of a donor needing to be in a good mood is actually true?" I raised my eyebrows.
Before Vince could answer, a blur of clothes moved past the both of us. Faulkner sat down at a bar stool, looking eagerly at the kitchen counter for something to eat or drink. The two of us bored holes through the back of his head until he finally turned and smiled at us.
"He is right. We love happy donors."
"No one asked you!" Vince stepped in front of me.
"How could I not answer her? I just woke up and I hear a beating heart while the both of you are talking about feeding." Faulkner hopped off of the bar stool and walked into the kitchen, "We discovered long ago that emotions affect how things taste. The happier you are, the better you taste. The donor laws aren't just there to protect you, Miss Escobar. They make everyone happy."
"Everyone!?" Vince scoffed, "You sound like the Iron Oath!"
Faulkner paused with a glass of milk in his hand, "I am part of the Iron Oath, Vincenzo."
Despite their silly bantering, I was actually curious about this. I had heard from a number of people that a happy donor made for a very nice experience for the donor and the Vampire both. I just didn't believe it. I figured it was some strange Vampire fetish many people had.
Far too many Humans were obsessed with the Vampires. They struggled to get into their clubs, fought to get through to feeding lounges and practically threw themselves into friendships. All of them hoping to somehow become a part of them without actually becoming a Non Human themselves.
Plenty of urban legends had popped up as a result of it. A rumor went around for a good twenty years that claimed a woman can have a child by a Vampire if she wasn't careful. There was another that went around claiming any donor would become enthralled. Most of those were nothing more than silly rumors.
I slid onto a bar stool, "It's true...?"
"Yes it is." Faulkner leaned on the counter, "And I will tell you a secret. It is even better when they are close to us. A good friend or lover is a wonderful thing. You would be like some delectable pastry. If you actually liked each other."
Vince bristled, "Are you saying we don't?!"
"I'm only saying that I wonder some time." Faulkner grinned, "I am sure the both of you have a lovely relationship. Did he tell you we were both very good friends once? Why, I have seen Vincenzo woo the most beautiful women. He has broken more hearts than one."
"Ahh. Thank you, Faulkner. That will be enough." Vince rubbed the back of his neck.
Faulkner continued, "Enough? I'm only starting! Did you not tell her about that lovely woman in Kent? What was her name? Ah. Lydia. A wonderful dancer."
Vince held his hands out towards Faulkner, "No. No. I have not told that story."
"What about the one in Italy? She had such a lascivious name that fit her so well."
"That is definitely enough!" Vince started to wave his hands around in the air.
I watched Vince grow more and more embarrassed each time Faulkner spoke. A lopsided smirk had formed on my face and I could not wipe it away. I turned to Faulkner, "Wait. I want to hear about the woman in Italy. I can tell it's going to be good."
"Raina!" Vince yelled, "Do not encourage this!"
"Ahh the stories I could tell you." Faulkner waltzed over to the counter, "They would drive him mad if he knew I'd said a word."
"Oh, I want to hear this." I leaned my elbows on the counter, smiling at Faulkner.
"Raina!?"
Faulkner laughed, "Shall I call you a donor or leave you both to argue? Or, is your lady finally going to give in?"
"Tell me about the lady in Italy and maybe I will." I crossed my arms in defiance. Now Vince had to make a choice.
He groaned, "You can't be serious!"
"I am."
Faulkner left us alone in the kitchen to discuss our deal. He slipped out of the back door unnoticed, walking to the far side of the yard. Two hours ago, a car parked near Vince's home, and turned off their lights. Whoever was in there had been sitting and watching for a while.
Faulkner tapped on the window, smiling at the woman who sat in the driver's seat. Kristin groaned when she realized she had been caught and rolled down the window. Without a single word, Faulkner got into the car, motioning for her to drive.
"What are you doing here, Kristin?" He asked.
"Jacob. He sent me. He wants me to kill you."
Faulkner threw his head back, "You? You have to be joking! Does he want you to die?"
Kristin closed her eyes, "No. I think he knows I can't do it."
"What does he want?"
"I wish I knew." Kristin tapped on the steering wheel, "He's getting desperate, Faulkner. He's making mistakes."
"What sort of mistakes?"
"Sloppy moves. Orders that don't make sense."
Faulkner smirked, "Because you have no one left. How many Iron Oath are actually operating in the United States right now? How many facilities do you have left?"
"Far too few." She sighed, "Please come back. We need your help."
"Stop the car." He ordered her.
Kristin stopped the car and Faulkner opened the door, "I will not be returning. Ever again. You tell Jacob Stuart that I will kill him if I see him again."
"Faulkner!" Kristin reached a hand out to stop him, "Please! He sent me here to..."
"I don't want to know." He interrupted her.
It was a shame Faulkner didn't ask her. Had he done so, we'd know something about their plans. He had known Kristin for so long that he thought she was incapable of any dirty work. Jacob sent her to talk to people. Not to harm anyone.
This time, Kristin had orders to take one person. If Jacob couldn't take Leo Moretti, he would take the next best thing. Chloe Neason. She was a perfect 'specimen' in Jacob's eyes. Born a Werewolf and raised as one. The last time the Iron Oath had her, their reports showed evidence of Chloe beginning to shift without a full moon.
That alone was enough to make Jacob obsessed with the young woman. To him, Chloe was the only person in recent history who could do it. Perhaps it was the methods they used or perhaps it was Chloe's will alone. The only way they could know was to take her again. This time, they would not be so easy on her. After Kristin let Faulkner out, she drove to a small home in Hialeah where she made certain she would meet Chloe the following day.
Kristin sat in a truck on the road that led to
the dealership. She checked her phone for the time and looked up at the sidewalk. There was the target. Right on schedule. Chloe was sitting by her bike with her head in her hands, cursing up a storm.
Kristin slowly pulled up and stuck her head out of the window, "Hi! Are you OK?"
"Oh..." Chloe looked up, "Yeah. I'm...my bike broke down. I'm just going to take it to the dealership over there. It's really close."
"It's a mile away. You're going to walk?"
"I guess." Chloe shrugged, "My Dad isn't answering his phone. He's the owner."
Kristin raised her eyebrows, "Brian is your Dad?"
"Yeah. Do you know him?"
"Yes! He sold my husband a bike. We got a great deal." Kristin acted surprised.
"Oh. Cool. Glad to hear it."
Kristin smiled at Chloe, beckoning to the truck, "Look, I know it's weird, but I do have this truck. My husband rides. I can help you get the bike in the bed and give you a ride."
"I appreciate it." Chloe placed her hands on the handlebars, "But I can't. I'm sure you're nice, but it's just not a great idea."
"I get it. I just feel bad seeing you stranded like this." Kristin paused for a moment and her eyes lit up, "Wait! I've got roadside assistance. It's some service that came with my husband's bike."
Chloe raised her eyebrows, "Oh. So he got the whole package. Look, I don't want to make you wait."
"I'll wait with you anyway." Kristin started to get out of the truck, "It's safer than you being alone."
"I guess." Chloe started to shuffle away, "There's just one problem."
"What's that?"
"My Dad doesn't sell any package with roadside assistance."
"I guess that is a problem, isn't it?"
Chloe started to run, but she was stopped by the sound of a gun being cocked. Kristin pointed her gun directly at Chloe. The woman's sweet smile had faded to a tight-lipped scowl, and she jerked the barrel towards the truck.
"Are you crazy? Someone will see this!"
"I don't care." Kristin stated, "No one here has seen me and I don't work in this area."
Chloe's face went numb when the realization of who Kristin was finally hit her. The Iron Oath. They had come after her again. Her heart started to race and her palms began to sweat when she thought about what they put her and Isaac through. She could not go through that again.
Chloe's eyes darted from the street to the sidewalk. She had to find something. Anything. There was no way this woman was taking her, but what could she do?
Her salvation came when an old bike pulled up and a man about Brian's age waved, "Hey Chloe! Are you OK? Something up with the bike?"
Kristin stuck the barrel of the gun into Chloe's back and hissed, "Don't say a word."
Chloe gulped. Her body was telling her to run, but her feet would not move. She had to do something.
"James! Get my Dad! Help!"
When Chloe screamed, James jumped from his bike, running towards her and the strange woman. Like many other Werewolves, he always carried a weapon with him. And he was reaching into the pocket of his leather vest to draw it. That was when Kristin saw him. The gun she held on Chloe was now trained on James.
"Damn it Chloe! You could have come with me!"
James pointed his gun at the woman, "Chloe run! Go!"
Chloe took off in the direction of the dealership as fast as her legs could carry her. The fear and trauma of her last interaction with the Iron Oath drove her to run and not look back. Had she turned around, she would have seen James being shot with some sort of tranquilizer and then dragged into Kristin's truck. His bike was left on the side of the road along with Chloe's.
Kristin was only following orders from Jacob. Even she knew he was getting sloppy. His orders to take someone in broad daylight was one of the dumbest decisions he had ever made and it would bite him later. Too many Werewolves lived in this area and one of them had filmed the entire altercation on their phone.
Chloe burst into the dealership screaming, "Mom! Dad! Someone help!"
Every employee dropped what they were doing and ran towards Chloe. Brian and Erin both burst from the offices, rushing over to their daughter. The moment she saw her parents, Chloe dropped to the floor and started to sob uncontrollably. She was safe now, but the memories from before came rushing back into her mind. It was a little too much for her to take.
"Chloe?" Erin tried to help her up, "What happened? Are you OK?"
"A lady...!" Chloe sobbed, "With the Iron Oath...she...tried to... James saw us and... I don't know where he is!"
"James?" Brian looked around the dealership. James had been due ten minutes ago, "Erin..."
"I'm already dialing." Erin held her phone to her ear, pacing back and forth while it rang.
A small crowd of Werewolves surrounded Chloe, protecting her from the normal patrons who were trying to see what the commotion was about. Brian and Erin stayed in the center, both of them forming a barrier around Chloe. She cried for a few more minutes and finally took a deep breath, looking up at her parents with a tear streaked face.
"I think she took James. She had a gun."
"He's not answering." Erin said to Brian.
"Shit." Brian closed his eyes, "Chloe, call Leo and have him come get you. Stay with him tonight. Vince's house is secure."
"What about you?" Chloe sniffed.
"We have to find James."
Phones started to ring all over South Florida spreading the news of what had just happened. Within a few hours, every Vampire, Druid and Werewolf knew that the Iron Oath had taken someone in broad daylight. And the woman who took him had been caught on camera.
This was high alert for every one of us. The Iron Oath had never been this careless before. With the public scandals and their offices closing down, they were finally starting to show their true colors. There would be no more covert operations or attempts at manipulation. They were going to go after us without abandon now, and they started with a Werewolf who had only tried to help.
I made the phone calls through my own community, sending the video along to countless phones in the area. All I wanted to do was get to The Veiled Monarch offices and help Louis and Catherine look into this. Instead, I was fielding calls from Druids all over South Florida. Finally, I called India and asked her to take over for me.
A meeting had been called for at the dealership. All of us were requested to attend. Once Vince woke up for the evening, he was briefed on the situation, and we jumped into his car. Leo had been there with Chloe for the majority of the day, and he would be present at the meeting as well.
The dealership was closed to the public, but it was crowded with a number of Non Humans. Werewolves, Druids and Vampires stood around the sales floor while Brian and Erin showed the video over and over again. Leo and Chloe were both sitting behind the desk holding each other's hand. The two of them looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Vince made his way over to Leo, "Are you alright?"
Leo turned to his Dad, "Vince...the lady in the video. I recognize her. I think you will too."
"I've already seen it." He responded, "I do recognize her. She was with them."
I rubbed my forehead, "Do they want to die at this point? What is wrong with them!?"
"I don't know what they're playing at." Vince shrugged, "Desperation, I'd imagine."
Everyone could agree on that. What we needed was a plan. The first part was to find out where they took James. Then, we all needed to be on high alert. Not just the Non Humans in Florida, either. Non Humans across the Country needed to know about this.
We could fight back now. There were always more of us than them. But, they had the public and the law on their side. They had neither anymore. Some Iron Oath trials had already ended, and every one resulted in a guilty verdict. Half of their operatives in the United States would spend the rest of their lives in jail. But, that didn't protect us from who was left. We had to protect ourselves.
Our first order of business was to begin a f
lurry of phone calls and messages. Start a chain that spread like wildfire through the Country, letting everyone know what had happened here. If we could put every Non Human community in the Country on high alert, we'd have a much better chance at getting rid of who was left.
Second would be to find James. That would take a little more planning. This was where The Veiled Monarch's private security came in. Louis, Catherine and I needed some time to form a plan, but we could form one quickly. Especially with the rest of the employees working with us.
We all agreed to meet again in one night to begin our search. Now, we just had to pray we weren't too late to save this Werewolf.
While we were busy planning, Jacob walked into a warehouse room that looked very much like one I had seen before. This one was smaller with less hospital beds and less equipment in it. Two lights hung above the bed that housed a single occupant that was restrained to the bed.
Jacob flipped through the clipboard, looking over the information on the Werewolf Kristin ended up with. James Melryk. Age forty-four. Born in Montana, moved to South Florida six years ago. One wife. One grown child. Two Werewolf parents. He wasn't Chloe Neason, but he would do.
"What is this? Who are you?" James demanded.
Jacob smiled at him, "James. This is going to be a lot easier for all of us if you just cooperate with us."
James' eyes went wide, "Iron Oath?!"
"I'm being rude." Jacob slapped his forehead, "Jacob Stuart. Iron Oath investigator. Nice to meet you."
"What do you think you're doing!?" James struggled with the restraints, "Someone's going to be looking for me. Hell, half of South Florida will!"
Jacob ignored his threats, pulling on a pair of gloves while he walked to a cabinet. Inside were a number of vials labeled with strange names. At first glance, they looked like any other medical supply cabinet, but these vials were strange. The liquid inside of them swirled with a number of different colors and some of them seemed to be almost iridescent in the light.
Jacob drew the liquid from one of the vials into a syringe, "Now why don't you be quiet and just relax."
"What is that? What are you doing?" James leaned away from Jacob and the strange vial he had in his hands.